Labor's Edge: Views from the California Labor Movement

SEIU721’s Truth Tracker Blog Debunks Lies About Working People

Working people are under attack—in particular public service workers like 9-1-1 operators, trash truck drivers and librarians. Elected officials, anti-worker politicians and media pundits are blaming us for budget problems we didn’t cause. They’re using the Great Recession as an excuse to attack working people and take away our rights and benefits.

Lately some people have started to fire back. Just this month, former Secretary of Labor Robert Reich said people attacking public workers are trying to hide the real problem: the billions going to bank executives and the ultra-wealthy through tax loopholes. “It's only average workers — both in the public and the private sectors — who are being called upon to sacrifice,” he wrote.

He's right. That's why my union, SEIU 721, which represents over 80,000 workers throughout Southern California, launched Truth Tracker, a blog that debunks the lies about public service workers and promotes the hard work they do for their communities.

Here's what we'll be covering on the site: We'll call out lies and omissions in the mass media. We'll correct the myths that pundits and anti-worker politicians use to attack working people who provide public services. And we'll show you examples of how dedicated, hard-working people are coming up with solutions to the economic crisis in order to help protect services in their communities.

Want to get involved? Then please visit Truth Tracker, follow us on Facebook and let us know when the whole truth about working people isn't being told.